A Look at College Football Conference Championship Weekend
College Football Conference Championship weekend has officially ended, and it didn’t go quite as people expected it to.
The SEC championship game resulted in an upset when Alabama won against No. 1 Georgia, who had a record 29-game win streak and was expected to play in the College Football Playoff – until the loss.
Alabama’s win was enough to bump it into the CFP over Florida State, who not only beat Louisville 16-6 in the ACC championship but had a perfect record of 13-0.
“I am disgusted and infuriated with the committee’s decision today to have what was earned on the field taken away because a small group of people decided they knew better than the results of the games,” said coach Mike Norvell.
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips added: “It’s unfathomable.”
In the Pac-12, Washington clinched a spot in the CFP after winning against Oregon for the second time despite being a nearly double-digit underdog in the matchup.
Texas is making its first trip to the CFP after beating Oklahoma State 49-21 in the Big 12 championship.
To round out the Power 5 conference championships, Michigan shut out Iowa 26-0 in the Big Ten, securing a place in the CFP.
There was one game that stood out in terms of what people were willing to pay for tickets to a conference championship.
The SEC championship had an average ticket price that was more than double the cost of any other major bowl game at $741 and the average across the Power 5 conferences ($306).
- Big 12: $323
- Big Ten: $179
- Pac-12: $158
- ACC: $131
On New Year’s Day, No. 1 Michigan will take on No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl and No. 2 Washington will face off against No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl. The CFP National Championship Game will be held at 7:20 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 8 in Houston, Texas.
Photo credit: Michigan Football
